VIDEO INSIDE! TREES UPROOTED, VILLAGES SUBMERGED - CYCLONE FANI HITS ODISHA!

Cyclone Fani, the strongest storm in India in 20 years, hit Odisha this morning and has started making its impact felt. Large areas were submerged in heavy rain, according to officials, says NDTV.

The impact of the landfall is likely to continue till around 11 am and after that, the cyclone is expected to move north-westwards and gradually weaken as it reaches Bengal by early tomorrow morning. The Odisha government has evacuated over 11 lakh people from the coastal areas to camps on higher grounds. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and disaster management agencies are on stand-by. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, reviewed preparedness for Cyclone Fani with his senior-most officials.

Kolkata airport will be shut between 9.30 pm on Friday to till 6 pm on Saturday. More than 200 flights from Kolkata will be cancelled. About 147 trains have been cancelled till tomorrow.

Odisha government moved over 11 lakh people, including at least 542 pregnant women, to safety in the last 24 hours and advised the public to remain indoor today. Several trees were uprooted.

The sound and the fury : here's what the landfall at Puri by #CycloneFani actually looked like..

Video by @PIBBhubaneswar pic.twitter.com/4GpvKFkRQ3

— PIB India (@PIB_India) May 3, 2019